What’s a power squat? This is a great form of squats for women as it targets the inner thigh — a common trouble zone.

Source: One of my favorite Instagram accounts @fitnessexercises

Let’s talk a little bit about form while we’re at it.

I’m currently working on getting my form down for squats. I’ve done squats … many, many squats, but I was never getting low enough or practicing the proper form. The other day at my gym a trainer spent some time with me giving me pointers on how to squat properly.

The key points for proper squat form are:
-Get low, low, low
-Don’t let your knees go past your feet
-Push your feet and knees outward to help you balance when coming up from squat position
-It’s recommended to do squats with flat shoes, or even barefoot (I have yet to try this)

I think this image displays great squat form. You can see the person is low, yet her knees aren’t passing her feet.

Think of yourself as a toddler. How do kids pick something off the ground? They squat at the knees right down to the ground to pick up their toys. That’s because they haven’t learned how to maneuver their bodies yet in the way older kids and adults can. We are often sitting down at our office desk, in our cars and constantly bending over to get something we dropped. Be a little kid and squat away 🙂

Today I met my family at our family friends’ annual Cider Making party. This is one of the best parties of the years. It’s held on their farmland, in their barn. Everyone brings an empty jug to fill up with cider, that’s made throughout the party, and take home. So delicious.

There’s also a ton of food and treats. The hostess is a wonderful baker so I love eating her baked goods! This party really encompasses all things Fall and holiday-related and I absolutely love it.

Last night I attended a Going Away party for of friend and her boyfriend. There was a lot of great food like homemade mac n’ cheese, taco dip, wine slushies and sugar cookies frosted as the Korean flag.

As a little gift for the pair I printed a picture of New York State and drew a heart on Rochester, NY so they always remember home and the place they met.

Today I planned on having an off day from the gym, but my brother suggested I go and do a shoulder workout with him. He’s very knowledgeable on fitness and weight lifting so I like working out with him to learn better form and different exercises. Plus when I work out with someone I tend to push myself a little more than if I was alone.

Kind of random, but the farmer’s market near work is in the parking lot of a shopping mall. It’s every Thursday, but ends next week for the season. It was a little spare today vendor-wise, but I went looking for a good deal on some local, fresh apples. And, of course, it was a success.

During apple season my go-to are Honeycrisp. They’re crunchy, crispy and sweet. Plus, we’re from Apple land, and our apples are huge. Today I didn’t see any deals on Honeycrisp so I asked a woman working a farm table what she recommended. She suggested Cameo, which I had never heard of. She even let me try a piece and it was crispier than Honeycrisp and just as sweet. SOLD. Plus, look at that price.

Another go-to of mine is stuffed peppers for an easy, high-protein and filling meal. Normally I’ll use quoina, black beans and some fat-free/skim cheese. Last night, when I prepped, I didn’t make quinoa so I only had black beans and cheese stuffed in my pepper to warm up today at work. It was still delicious and to supplement I made a Kale salad with Blueberry Pomegranate dressing, 1/3 cup walnut halves and a sprinkle of fat-free Feta.

Workout today
My body felt tired and sore today at the gym but I tried to make it through a weight-lifting session the best I could.

Bench press 45lb bar 4×8 with bench dips between sets
Incline bench press 45lb bar 2×5
Cable bicep curl 4×8-10
Hammer curl 3×8
Shoulder dumb bell shrug 3×8-10
Dumb bell single-leg deadlift 3×5-8 I swear these are the hardest thing for me to do but I always feel it in my hamstrings and lower back. I can balance fine on my left food but can barely do 2 in a row on my right!